This is how much the extras for the Harry Potter films got paid

Tiktoker @samanthaclinch launched her TikTok page at the end of August 2023. So far, the woman has amassed just over 15,000 followers. Her content is mostly centred around the fact that she used to be an extra in the Harry Potter films.

While these films were very expensive to make they also made a lot of profit. For instance, Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, the saga’s fourth film, cost 150 million USD and made 896 million USD worldwide.

In light of the enormity of the profits, one would expect that all involved were fairly compensated. Well, be ready to be disappointed.

12 hour days

In her TikTok video which has now collected over 300,000 likes, Samantha Clinch explains that while working on the Harry Potter films, the extras worked very long hours.

We would do 12 hour days. Big 12 hour days.

She adds:

We would be called for breakfast to be in the holding area outside set for 5.30 am in the morning. And then be leaving at rush hour and be on the bus in heavy traffic.

£35 per day

To add a bit of context, it is important to remember that a lot of extras in the Harry Potter films were children at the time. Working a 12 hour day for a child is already questionable but then the amount Samantha Clinch claims to have earned is shocking.

According to her the extras were paid £35 a day.

She says:

That’s £2,91 an hour. Is that legal?

That’s chaos.

However, while this amount is shocking, especially considering the fact that the leads of the films were paid millions, this is pretty standard for a child extra. Moreover, according to Clinch, even though the pay wasn’t great, there were other pros to working on the Harry Potter sets including the catering.

Read more:

⋙ Harry Potter: Alan Rickman, Helen McCrory, and other actors who have passed away

⋙ Harry Potter: Dumbledore actor Sir Michael Gambon has died aged 82, cause of death revealed

⋙ Kate Middleton: New photos shows her uncanny resemblance to Harry Potter's Professor McGonagall

Sources:

TikTok